January23,2003

Congressman Adam Smith (D-Tacoma) is concerned about the lack of attention to government reform efforts. The Senate last week squashed a request of $45 million for the e-government fund for fiscal year 2003, and instead allocated just $5 million - the same amount as in 2002. Lawmakers had authorized $45 million for the fund through the E-Government Act of 2002, but as Senate appropriators pared spending, the e-government fund came under the axe.

“In many ways, government is no longer efficient and responsive enough to the needs of the people. We need to utilize technology to bring government closer to people, make federal agencies more user-friendly, and improve the communication between elected officials and their constituents,” said Smith. “This has been a top priority of mine since coming to Congress and e-government is a critical step in our reforms to ensure that government is customer-service oriented and truly meeting the needs of the citizenry. Frankly, I’m concerned that these cuts indicate the lack of commitment to real government reform in Washington, D.C.”